A New Quidditch Instructor
by Fin Ravel
Summary: Rolanda Hooch's first year as a teacher at Hogwarts. Maybe SSRH and MMAD, rating might change.
1. Summer pt 1

Well, this is my first story, so please be gentle, and remember that I don't own any of the characters in this story, only the plot. This is set before Harry Potter came to Hogwarts, I don't think that I have quite pinpointed when, but if you could give me some advice in the form of a review; I would be most grateful. Tally Ho!

* * *

_'Why is he staring at me?_' The new Flight Instructor, Rolanda Hooch, shifted her weight nervously from one foot to the other as teachers came to offer congratulations and greetings as a new member of staff. She turned to leave the Teacher's Lounge, but Minerva McGonagall intercepted her; saying something about when her first lesson was… "Professor McGonagall-"

"Please, call me Minerva, you're not my student anymore, we're colleagues!" A pink-cheeked Minerva interrupted while pulling Albus Dumbledore over to them. "Albus, Rolanda has had quite a busy week- would it be unreasonable for her to retire early from the Beginning of the Year Party? She seems to be a bit groggy to me!" Minerva stifled a giggle, but failed miserably as she let out a raucous laugh which quickly turned into a light purr as she fell into the Headmaster's arms.

It was true that Rolanda had wanted to head off to bed for some time, so when the blue eyed, bespectacled professor looked into her own, she repeated "Would it be acceptable for me to go to bed?"

"Would you like some help to your quarters, you look a bit woozy." Albus, still holding Minerva, gestured to Professor Snape to come assist after Rolanda accepted his offer of help. "Have a nice evening, Professor Hooch. I am sorry to not be able to assist you myself, but I must see that Minerva gets to bed, too." Rolanda smiled at the thought of being a teacher, but it quickly turned into a frown as the haze in front of her eyes got stronger.

"The same goes for me." Professor Snape snapped Rolanda's attention back to reality.

"What?" He had been staring at her from across the room for some time, had he also been eavesdropping?

"You may call me by my first name."

"We'd better be on a first name basis, or have you forgotten that I was only a year ahead of you in school?"

"I still have seniority over you. Are you all right?" Severus' old acquaintance and new colleague had pinched her eyes shut and clutched her head in pain. Severus held her shoulders and led her to the door. "You'd better get some fresh air,"

"Just a headache, that's all."

"Headaches can be very bad signs, you know."

"I just need some rest, that's all."

"Perhaps in the Hospital Wing," Severus added.

"I can get to my rooms without help!" Rolanda pushed away from the Potions professor, but fell to the floor as her knees buckled.

"And I have pink hair."

"Don't get sarcastic with me, Severus Snape!" Despite her ever-worsening attitude, Severus helped her up and partially carried her up a flight of stairs.

"If you won't listen to reason, then I'll get Poppy to make a house call." Rolanda had barely heard what he had said, her vision had clouded again and she could barely move her legs. There was only one thought in her head before she had lost consciousness: _'Why was he staring at me?' _

* * *

Well, this is the first chapter of my first fanfic, hope you enjoyed it! Next chapter: Minnie Finds Herself in Bed with a Huge Hangover and a Certain Headmaster at Her Feet! 

Review! Now! Please, please, please, don't make me beg!


	2. Summer pt 2

I don't own J.K. Rowling's characters or ideas; I just twist and manipulate them to attain a certain amount of satisfaction.

Thank yous go out to kidarock for reading and reviewing (I think they're the only two people to have read my story, come to think of it!). Glad you like the prize! Sorry for not getting this up sooner!

As for anyone else: read kidarock's stories! They kick bottom!

* * *

Chapter Two

Albus walked slowly down the corridor to Minerva's quarters, almost regretting the thought of putting her unconscious form down. Despite the smell of champagne clinging to her person, Minerva seemed to be sleep as opposed to being drunk in an alcohol-induced coma.

Minerva stirred. "Mmmm…" was all that she said, but not a moment later, she started mumbling something into the Headmaster's chest. Albus craned his head closer to hear what she was saying. "Hot cocoa, Albus? Why not…ginger…newts…too…"

As Albus reached the door to the Transfiguration teacher's room, he couldn't help but sigh. "Ah, Minerva. This is where I take my leave of you. If only I could-" Albus stifled a huge yawn as he opened the door to Minerva's rooms. "If only I could help you prevent tomorrow's inevitable hangover, but I doubt anyone will have the time, capacity, or desire to make any tomorrow." Albus placed Minerva on her bed, and covered his mouth in time for another yawn. "Well, I can still try to make you comfortable," was all he said while pulling a comforter over his best friend.

"Perhaps we could play a game of chess tomorrow? I doubt that you'll be able to concentrate on the board, judging on how much you drank tonight!" _I could do with some cocoa, but I think I'll lay down for a bit first. _Albus yawned and stretched, surveying Minerva as she slept. _She really is a wonderful woman, I'm glad to know her… _was the last thought in his head as he drifted into his dream world.

* * *

The first thing Minerva felt was a solid warmth against her back, then hair tickling her cheek. She rolled over to find herself in the arms of Albus Dumbledore. She knew she should get up, but he was just so comfortable! _I should get up, what is Albus doing in my bed? Not that I mind, of course. _

Her musings were interrupted as a migraine dashed through her head and settled like a rain cloud over her thoughts. _Oh, I hate hangovers! Why did I have to drink so much? That was stupid, nobody likes hangovers! I still shouldn't have drunk so much last night.

* * *

_

Author's Note:

Well? How d'ya like it? I don't think that I'm that good at writing MMAD, but I do enjoy that pairing quite a bit!

I would like to clear some things up about the story while I'm here. The story is set before Harry Potter, but after the Mauraders Era. Professor Snape has been teaching for a few years, but Madame Hooch was just hired that summer. Madame Hooch isn't a Madame (she's unmarried), see the story that I'll be putting up after this one if you're interested. You'll know which one it is from the description. See the next story after that one if you want to know how Hooch got gray hair; her hair is black for the beginning of this story, but the ending of the story might take place during the Golden Trio's years at Hogwarts, I haven't really decided yet.

The next chapter goes back to the night of the Staff Party, with Severus and Rolanda. See ya there!


	3. Summer pt 3

Finally, I've managed to get computer time! Well, I hope you like this next chapter!

I don't own J.K. Rowling's characters or anything else related to Harry Potter, except for the plot, and even then, that's kinda shoddy.

* * *

Severus settled Rolanda by the door to her rooms, pulled his wand out of his robes, and said _"Ennervate."_

She straightened and coughed. "What happened?"

"I don't know, Rolanda. You need to get some rest; I don't know the password to your rooms, though." Severus' brow furrowed as he helped Rolanda up after she weakly stated the password.

"Sev, my head hurts-" Severus watched in horror as Rolanda threw up and fainted. He knelt over her limp form and felt her forehead. _'God, she has a fever!'_

He laid Rolanda on the floor, lit a fire, and Flooed back to the Staff Party. _'I hope Madame Pomfrey's here!' _

Filius turned as Severus tapped him on the shoulder. "Have you seen Madame Pomfrey?" Severus shouted over the din. "It's really important!"

"What? I can't hear you!" Filius screamed.

"Oh, never mind!" Severus dashed off, weaving through the crowd of teachers and staff. "Where's Madame Pomfrey?" he asked Professor Trelawney.

"Oh, Severus!" Sybil exclaimed. "I knew you would want to see me!" her voice dropped to a husky growl "It was written in the stars that we would meet tonight." Sybil's finger trailed along Severus' chest.

Severus took a step back, coughing from the smell of Ogden's Olde Firewhiskey. "No, I need to find Poppy!"

"Oh, fine then! Run back to your squeeze! See how I care!" The Divination instructor sobbed.

_Yeah, that helped! _"Arithaeus! Wait! Have you seen Madame Pomfrey?"

"Have I seen her?" Professor Vector's voice dropped as Sybil's did. "Oh, now she's a fine woman- I can't keep my eyes off of her! Such a huge-"

"Arithaeus! I'm not sure I want to continue this conversation, but if you can tell me where Poppy is, I would be quite grateful!"

"Did you try the infirmary? I think I'll try after you, eh?" Arithaeus nudged Severus in the ribs.

"Why didn't I think of looking there? Poppy has too much sense to drink like these fools!" He ran out the Staff Room to the Hospital Wing.

"Poppy! Madame Pomfrey! Help!" Severus shouted.

"Severus, calm down! What's wrong?" Poppy appeared from her office.

"Madame Pomfrey, it's Rolanda Hooch. She's sick."

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Next chapter up soon!

PLEASE review!


	4. Summer pt 4

You know the drill: I'm a pauper! I don't own anything! J.K. Rowling deserves all of the credit for characters, places, and stuff like that.

* * *

Severus and Poppy went quickly to Rolanda's rooms; the only word spoken the entire time was "silverarrow", the password.

Poppy knelt by the unconscious teacher and performed a Diagnostic Spell, then turned to Severus. "What are you standing way over there for? I've got a potion in my office that will sort her out quite quickly. I'll be right back."

As Poppy began towards the fire, Severus stopped her. "What am I supposed to do?" He asked.

"She could do with some fresh robes, for one. This vomit smells quite bad, so you might want to clean that up, as well." Poppy replied as if it was the obvious thing to do. With that said she sprinkled some Floo Powder over the flames and disappeared to the Hospital Wing.

'_What? Why do _I_ have to change her clothes? I- she- oh, Madame Pomfrey!' _Severus gulped. _"Evanesco!" _Severus chanted, thenwent over to Rolanda's dresser and tried to find her a nightshirt.

When he did, he flipped Rolanda over, turned his head, and started to unbutton her shirt. After a few buttons, he stopped, mentally berated himself, and performed a Switching Spell. _'What was I thinking? What if she woke up? What if I had seen something?' _

By this time, Poppy had returned with the potion and had administered it accordingly. Severus glared at her. She replied with a questioning look.

"You wanted to get the potion instead?" Poppy asked as she removed Rolanda's boots.

"Well, you _are_ a woman, it would have been better if you had changed her clothes."

"Come help me with getting her on the bed, _Locomotor _spells don't mix very well with this potion." Poppy said, and then added as an afterthought "It's not like you're interested in women, anyway, why should it matter?"

Severus nearly dropped Rolanda. "_What?_"

Poppy's eyebrows rose. "You're not gay?"

"No!"

"Ah, well; I can see where you're coming from, then. Did you see anything?"

"I almost did, because the shock of you leaving me to remove the clothes of an attractive woman very nearly caused me to forget about Switching Spells!" Severus gulped and mentally berated himself again for that statement.

"Well, I apologize for putting you in this situation, but I must be heading back to the Hospital Wing to check my Anti-Hangover Potion. Good night."

"Good night." _'She thought I was gay? Fantastic, everything is going great. I hope Rolanda's okay…' _Severus decided to go for a walk.

* * *

Poppy poured the Anti-Hangover Potion into separate containers, one for each staff member. Her husband came up behind her and gave her a very large hug and kiss before she had time to react.

"Alastor! You scared me!" Poppy returned the hug and kiss tenfold. "Is everything alright?"

"I had some time off, so I came to see you." Alastor smiled as he growled into his wife's shoulder. "I don't have to get back for a while yet. I could do with a shower and some rest, will you join me?"

"For the shower or the rest?" Poppy playfully replied, and Alastor's smile grew wider. "I need to finish some things up before bed."

Alastor kissed her again and set off to get a shower and a change of clothes.

* * *

Hope you liked it! Thanks go to kidarock, so snaps for Bex :3

Next chapter will be the same day that chapter two takes place in- after that, no more skipping around in time! Be nice to Shakers. Peace out.


	5. Summer pt 5

I apologize again for being behind for like the quintillionth time!

Props to kidarock, and I hope maybe a few more who will not be mentioned yet.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter other than my copies of the books and in no way claim that this story in any way has anything to do with J.K. Rowling's novels with the exception of the characters.

* * *

Sunlight burned the retinas of Rolanda Hooch as she woke to find herself in her bed looking at her beloved Silver Arrow broomstick mounted on the wall opposite her. '_I'll miss playing Quidditch this year, refereeing students will be tame compared to playing professional games'_. She thought as she threw open a window and enjoyed the cool breeze. '_Madame Pomfrey probably changed my clothes for me last night, it was really decent of Severus to go and get her for me. And to think, I thought he was a salty, rather greasy, overall unpleasant ogre while we were in school'_. As Rolanda changed into a set of clean robes, her mind drifted to the past.

_A breeze stirred the crowd and eased Rolanda higher in the air, this was the definitive match between Slytherin and Ravenclaw, and Slytherin had a slight lead. For the rest of the school, this game decided the future home of the Quidditch Cup, but for Rolanda this match decided her fate; there were two scouts watching her play today, and if she didn't pull through she might not have a chance at the professional league! The Quaffle dropped from Bone's hands into another Ravenclaw chaser's hands who then passed it to Rolanda who spun and swerved across the pitch to even the score against Slytherin. A sea of blue, red, and gold rose up in a mighty wave of _cheers_. Slytherin and Hufflepuff booed until the Quaffle was back in play. Finnigan, the reserve Seeker, had spotted something; Rolanda took a moment to follow his line of sight and also observed the Golden Snitch several feet away from the box where Professor Slughorn was sitting. She darted to the Seeker and said "Go for it." Finnigan looked unsure, but nodded and sailed towards the Snitch. Rolanda swerved in front of the Slytherin Seeker and looped around him, trying to prevent him from noticing the Ravenclaw Seeker's mad attempt at the Snitch. Rain started to fall, and then hail. Ravenclaw earned another 30 points over Slytherin, making the score 250 to 220 Ravenclaw; Rolanda used the momentum gained in a Sloth Grip Roll to increase the score to 260. The sound of the referee's whistle was barely noticeable over the roar of the croud when they saw Finnigan do a victory lap around the stadium, Golden Snitch in hand._

Rolanda's musings were interrupted by a knock at the door, but before Rolanda could answer, Poppy Pomfrey barged in. "Hello, Rolanda, how are we feeling today? You gave us a bit of a scare last night."

"Good morning, Madame Pomfrey, I feel just fine. How's everyone else?" '_How's Severus?'_

"Tired and hung over; I thought I would check on you before distributing any Anti-Hangover Potion." Poppy surveyed the new Flying Instructor's room before continuing. She wondered why Rolanda had decided to put her bed in the main room instead of one of the side areas, and decided to ask about it at a later date. Like most of the rooms in Hogwarts, the floors and walls were composed of gray stone; not unlike most teachers' quarters, this room had many bookcases, but Poppy also noticed a cello in the corner. Poppy mused that Rolanda had chosen this room because of the large window on the wall opposite the door leading to the corridor. There were Quidditch plaques adorning one wall, along with a portrait of a woman and a gryphon on the wall adjacent to the bookshelves. The mediwitch smiled at the sight of a Silver Arrow racing broom beneath the portrait, and remembered when Rolanda had to go to the Hospital Wing because of a leg that was broken in a game of chicken with James Potter. "Did you feel any more symptoms today?"

"No, thankfully; I still don't see why it was such a big deal, it was just a headache!"

"And nausea, fainting spells, dizziness, and a fever."

"It could have been menstrual," Rolanda pouted. "I don't know about you, but I'm so hungry I could eat a dragon."

"Perhaps, but I doubt it; except for the dragon part. You have quite an appetite at times, especially when your body's on the mend."

"You would know, you were always fixing it."

Poppy turned to leave, and said "See you later Rolanda, it was a smart move to wait for Severus to be around to catch you when you fall." And with that, the mediwitch proceeded down the corridor to the Great Hall.

When Poppy left, Rolanda finished getting dressed, brushed her hair, and walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Before she could get there, Arithaeus Vector intercepted her. "Ah, Rolanda! You are looking spectacular this morning. Your eyes, they burn into me with the intensity of a thousand suns, your hair, yes, your beautiful dark hair! It calls to me like the moon calls to the ocean, like the-" Arithaeus stopped cold at the sight of Serena Sinistra, the resident Astronomy professor, walking down the hall.

"Serena! Oh, your skin is as smooth and as pale as the moon-"

"As smooth as the moon?" Serena pouted, "I could take that as an insult." The Astronomy professor quipped playfully.

"Perhaps I am in need of some lessons?" Arithaeus growled and slid his arm around the giggling professor's waist.

Rolanda hurried down the hallway. '_That couple was unexpected, I-'_ Rolanda's thoughts were interrupted by Professor Flitwick, who accompanied her the rest of the way to the Great Hall. "How was your evening, Sir?"

Filius laughed and said "No need for 'sirs' around me! My evening was quite enjoyable, but did you notice if anything was troubling Severus? He came in a panic asking for something, and it looked urgent; I'm sorry I couldn't help him."

"No, I don't know anything about that, I ducked out early." The two teachers entered the Great Hall and continued to chat about the first day of school until Filius was called over by another teacher. "Thanks for the tips, Professor."

"No problem, Rolanda, but if you call me anything other than 'Filius' in the future, your ears will do more flying than your broom!" The diminutive professor laughed and trotted off.

At that moment, Severus Snape swished by without a word. "Severus, wait up!" Rolanda called. "I need to talk to you!"

The professor slowed, but didn't stop as he ducked into the hallway that led to his classroom. When Rolanda caught up with him, she noticed that he suddenly looked very uncomfortable. "Something wrong, Madame?" Severus resumed his brisk pace.

"I just wanted to thank you for helping me last night; Professor Flitwick said you were really worried about me." Rolanda was also curious as to why he was suddenly calling her 'Madame', but held her tongue.

"Didn't he ask for you notto call him 'sir'?"

"Aha! So you _were_ eavesdropping! I knew it!" Rolanda shouted triumphantly.

Severus winced at the volume of her voice. "Madame, if overhearing a shouted conversation inside a gigantic, resonating stone chamber counts as eavesdropping, then everyone in this hemisphere was doing so! Good day and good luck tomorrow!" A lamp exploded as Severus continued on his way down to his dungeons.

"My name's Rolanda!" She shouted after him, and then gasped. Tomorrow was the first day of school! She had to find Professor McGonagall and get a schedule!

* * *

Minerva wrapped a towel around her damp figure after getting out of the shower and checked again to make sure that Albus was really there. She felt rather perverse, thinking of him the way she was; he was her employer, for goodness sakes! In truth, she had found it to be quite exhilarating to wake up in his arms, she felt safe and… her train of thought was interrupted by a knock on the door.

She walked out of the bathroom with only her towel on and cracked the door open so hardly a sliver of light peeked through from the outside world, but opened it wider when Madame Pomfrey appeared. "How are you feeling, Minerva? I hear that you ducked out early last night."

Minerva's brow furrowed as she asked "How did you know?"

"Someone's feeling a little cranky today; you should show more enthusiasm towards the person who brought you some Anti-Hangover Potion. Alastor saw you leave with the Headmaster. Speak of the devil, there he is!"

Minerva turned and saw to her horror that Albus truly was there, and Poppy was seeing this all play out. "Good morning, Poppy, I think I'll have some breakfast." Albus was obviously trying to keep his eyes off his barely clad and dripping wet Deputy Headmistress, but all three present knew he wasn't doing very well. He cleared his throat, "Some breakfast sounds delightful, shall I wait for the two of you?"

"I already ate, but thank you for offering; the waffles are delicious this morning, by the way." Poppy quickly ducked out of her good friend's chambers and continued down the hall.

"And you, Minerva?" Now that the mediwitch was gone, he chanced a proper look at his dear friend, but then wished he hadn't. Albus nearly needed a glass of water.

"Perhaps some other time, Albus."

"I wouldn't mind waiting, you know."

"I know, but it would probably be better if you left."

"Yes, you're right, as always. Ah, Rolanda, how nice of you to stop by; I had better be going now."

After Albus crossed the threshold, Minerva shut the door behind him, blushed heavily, and downed the beaker of potion Poppy handed her in one gulp. "Do you need something?"

Rolanda shrugged, "Yes, but is there anything wrong?"

Minerva hurriedly answered with a resounding "No!", and that was that. "What do you need?"

"First I need to know why you are blushing so heavily and I also need a class schedule. I didn't realize the first day of school is tomorrow!"

"That first item of business has nothing to do with you," Minerva said heatedly while rummaging through her desk, "and here's your schedule."

"Thank you. Sorry for coming in at a bad time."

Minerva's face softened, and pulled her former student into a tight hug. "I should be sorry for snapping at you, can you forgive me?" Rolanda nodded. "Why don't you ask Severus to have a look at your lesson plans so far? I'll never admit to saying this, but he is very good at things such as this."

"Thank you," Rolanda said as she backed out of the room. "Have a nice day."

* * *

Sorry again for the lateness! Man, I am so talented at procrastination! I'm also a pretty big jerk, too. I need to apologize to BlazeFourPaws and Padme Snivvey for reviewing, I'M SORRY, YOU GUYS! I should have thanked you earlier, but I didn't. I'm really sorry for that. I mean, like I'm gonna commit hari kiri for that, you know? Anybody else, I've learned my lesson and I promise to respond to every review I get, unless I suddenly get a ton of reviews, then I'll mention you in the beginning of the next chapter every time you review. SORRY AGAIN! 


	6. Almost done with summer

Disclaimer: I don't own anything relating to Harry Potter except for this particular story, but I guess that you could say that since I'm using Harry Potter people, places, and things that this story still falls within the jurisdiction of J.K. Rowling, but I don't think she'll want it, in all honesty.

MaraSevvie17: Cool name, it kicks royally huge toushie! Thanks, I always imagined that Minerva would be a funny drunk, I'm glad that you enjoyed my interpretation of that! (Assuming I comprehended the general gist of your review!) I'm kind of glad that Mme. Hooch isn't explored very deeply in the novels because it leaves all of this room for interpretation!

Kidarock: To be perfectly honest, I didn't realize that the staff members were hinting at that, but now that it's been brought to my attention, I'll just take credit for it and simply say "Thank you! I knew that everybody was doing that all along… yeah." Thanks for pointing that out, you're so observant!

Rolanda made her way towards the dungeons quickly with her schedule and half completed lesson plans in hand. She wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to ask Severus for help, what with how he treated her earlier that morning, but that was another reason to go see him again. Perhaps if she found out why he was so angry at her, she could make it right with him. She knocked on the door and let herself in after a few moments of silence.

Severus sat quietly at his desk writing what looked to be a letter, but looked up as Rolanda walked up to him. The desk started to quietly vibrate, but quickly stopped. "May I help you?" He enquired in a rather quiet, almost timid voice.

"I was wondering if you would help me finish up my lesson plans." Rolanda replied. "I've got them done, for the most part, but I'm not sure if they'll work. I've never done anything like this before." Rolanda smiled, and surprisingly, Severus did too. This must have been an important occasion; in all her years, she had never seen Severus Snape smile before.

"Sit down, I'll be right back." Severus motioned to a chair across from his desk, and as he did, the chair vibrated not unlike the desk a few moments ago. He then stepped into his office.

Severus waved his wand and a glass filled itself with water from his sink, and then landed in his waiting hand. He drank in two gulps, and then violently shook his head from side to side. _Get a hold of yourself! What will happen if you don't calm down? Just keep your nerve until she leaves. _Since last night, Severus' stomach filled with butterflies every time he ever even thought of Rolanda. What was wrong with him? He had always been good at keeping his emotions under control until now, why was this happening? Severus took another moment to compose himself, and rejoined Rolanda in his classroom.

"Now, where were we?" Severus strained to keep eye contact with Rolanda while still keeping his emotions under control.

"You were going to help me with my lesson plans." She watched as Severus sat down again and wondered what he needed from his office, and then handed him her lesson plans, course schedule, and curriculum.

Both sat in silence while Severus looked over the papers Rolanda just handed him. After a few minor corrections, Severus handed them back and said "Good. Have you gone over this with the Headmaster?"

Rolanda shook her head.

"That's the next thing you have to do now. After that, you just have to stick with whatever is written there."

"Thanks Severus. See you around, then." The lights flickered, and a few beakers of potion cracked. Rolanda blinked. What was going on in this room? She exited, then made her way towards the Headmaster's office.

As she was passing through the Great Hall she noticed that Professor Dumbledore was still eating breakfast, so she decided to wait until he was done before approaching him. After running to her quarters to put her syllabus away, she went out on to the Quidditch Pitch for a quick fly.

Minerva performed a Drying Charm on her hair and selected her favorite set of green robes from her closet as her hair did itself into her ordinary bun. Nothing out of the ordinary. No one will notice. She had better get breakfast from the kitchens today.

After eating a short breakfast, she decided that it will have been enough time between her and Albus' arrivals to prevent any suspicion. After enjoying a short conversation with Filius in the Great Hall and observing Severus and Rolanda in some sort of row, she headed back to her rooms for some rest. A good portion of the way there, she was intercepted by Poppy Pomfrey, who quite literally dragged her out to the lake for a long talk.

"When did this happen?" Poppy screeched.

"When did what happen?"

Poppy calmed down a bit and said in a much quieter tone "How long have you and Albus been seeing each other?"

Minerva flushed at the thought and replied "We aren't seeing each other; he probably fell asleep when he put me to bed. You remember how much I drank last night, even if I don't."

They broke off of their original course to head towards the Quidditch Pitch and shared the latest gossip with the closeness only found in very good friends and happy marriages.

After a few laps around the pitch, they sat in the lower stands and observed Rolanda Hooch in flight. Minerva finally broke the comfortable silence with "I would tell you if there was anything going on with Albus and I."

Poppy smiled, and the two friends hugged. "I know."

"Was Rolanda doing well last night?" Minerva asked.

Poppy chuckled. "Yes, Severus was the one acting oddly."

"What happened?" Minerva asked.

"Well, I don't know all of the details, but I remember Severus storming into my office just when I was about ready for bed, shouting about Rolanda. I followed him up to her rooms, and he let us in!"

"He knew the password?"

"Yes, and when I got there, Rolanda was unconscious on the floor surrounded in her own vomit. I gave some instructions to Severus- he's straight, you know!"

Minerva laughed. "I was wondering about that, but go on."

"Ah, yes. I went to get a potion from the Infirmary, and when I got back, there was Severus- blushing his head off!"

"I'm sure that ties in with being heterosexual, of course."

"Of course! Maybe he performed a Switching Spell, or maybe he saw her-"

"Poppy! Severus may be a bit strange, but he is no pervert!"

"I'm not saying anything other than it would explain why he was so angry at me for suggesting he change her clothes." Poppy said.

"Oh, so he was following your orders?"

"Well I thought he wasn't interested! Can you blame me?"

"That helps explain why he was acting so strangely this morning."

Poppy straightened up. "How was he acting?"

Minerva explained Severus' and Rolanda's fight to Poppy, and soon they were joined by Rolanda herself. They hushed and each waited for the other to speak. "How are you doing this morning, ladies?"

"We are having a lovely morning, and yourself?" Minerva replied.

"I just came outside for a bit of fresh air."

Poppy laughed. "The same with us!"

Rolanda and Minerva giggled as well. The conversation continued until Poppy cut it short by saying "I'll have to be going to the castle, now. Thank you for the lovely conversation."

"What's going on between you and the Headmaster?" Rolanda blurted.

Minerva looked taken aback for a moment, but composed herself. "Nothing. Why do you ask?"

"I'm sorry. That was uncalled for and very rude." Rolanda solemnly stated, then turned and began to make her way out of the stands.

"Rolanda, there was nothing wrong with what you asked me. I simply wanted to know why."

Rolanda turned and sat down again. "Well, when I was in school there was always a huge betting pool about staff relationships, and you and the headmaster were always bet on the highest, so now that I'm not taking part in school gambling, I was wondering if I deserve all of that money back or if I lost the bet seven years in a row."

Minerva laughed, and then stopped, straight lipped. "There was a betting pool on staff relationships?"

"Mmh hmm! It was the most interesting thing to happen at Hogwarts! Other than perhaps Quidditch."

"Oh, of course. Oh, if only you were a Gryffindor, then I would be able to rub more victories into that Slughorn's face!"

Rolanda laughed at the image of Minerva gloating to an angry Slughorn. "Well, in school leagues it always comes down to who caught the Snitch in the end. You had an excellent Seeker, I'm surprised that you didn't win more games with James Potter!"

"Yes, he was a terrible student, but very bright. Very bright indeed." The conversation continued with talk of old times and old students, and eventually the two parted: Rolanda to see Albus, and Minerva to beat her to him.

This may sound like a bad ending to the summer portions, but everything else will fly by really quickly and it'll make more sense, I hope… Thanks to all reviewers, and goodnight!


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